


Going Gray

by Athetos



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Aging, Angst, Anxiety, Established Relationship, F/F, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, takes place like 10 years after season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29687796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athetos/pseuds/Athetos
Summary: Glimmer is immortal; Adora is not.Today, they face the reality of that hard truth.
Relationships: Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 24





	Going Gray

**Author's Note:**

> I'm steadily chipping away at I Thought I Wanted This, and it's forthcoming sequel (yeah, it's happening! Woo!), but wanted to change up the pace and decided to post this short fic in the interim. I hope you enjoy - feel free to leave kudos or comments if you like it!
> 
> Warnings for: facing one's own mortality, minor suggestive details

“’Dora? Are you almost ready?” 

Glimmer wasn’t the most patient person by any means, but after a decade of being Queen, she had managed to temper her restless energy into something vaguely resembling calmness. Instead of pacing back and forth in her room, growling under her breath and fidgeting with her jewelry as she would have done as a newly crowned teen, she sat at her desk, checking her makeup in a small mirror. She didn’t always bother with cosmetics, but tonight was a _very_ important dinner with a _very_ important ambassador from the newly formed magicat city of Half Moon, and she was intent on making a good impression. No need for the delegate to know that she had dark circles under her eyes from getting less than fours of sleep a night thanks to a rowdy toddler, or lovemarks on her neck from an equally vivacious lover. She was a Mother and a Wife, two titles she wore with as much pride as she did her crown, but not everyone seemed to see it that way. So full red lips and perfectly clear skin it was.

Not that she thought Adora would mind; Glimmer went out of her way to use the particular shade of red lipstick that made the blonde tremble, and the glittery eyeshadow that made her eyes look like “midnight skies full of stars.” Adora’s slowness tonight was a bit surprising; usually her wife was ready in moments, her background as a soldier serving her well for preparing herself as quickly and efficiently as possible. Maybe she had her suit jacket inside out again?

Still not getting a response, she checked the clock; they had fifteen minutes before the dinner began. More than enough time to arrive as expected, especially with the aid of teleportation, but she would have _liked_ to show up early enough to scope out the representing party, and maybe also steal some hors d’oeuvres....

“Babe! We gotta go soon!” She called, standing up and smoothing her gown. She walked over to the bathroom door, heels clicking against the floor like the second hand on a clock. Leaning against the door, she felt it gently rumble in it’s frame. “Are you done yet?”

Several seconds passed; no answer.

Okay, now Glimmer was worried. What if she fainted? It had only happened once before, weeks after their wedding, when the newly-appointed royal passed out from low blood sugar, so overwhelmed with paperwork and meetings that she couldn’t find the time or energy to eat. She could have hit her head, been knocked unconscious, blood pooling on the tiles...

Anxiety claimed her quickly, and she scrambled for the doorknob. To her relief, the door was unlocked (even though she could easily have just teleported inside anyways), and she swung it open, expecting to see the prone form of her wife bleeding out on the floor, or some equally terrible fate.

Instead, Adora was perfectly fine, and fully dressed; she was standing over the sink, face only a couple inches from the mirror, a section of her long golden hair held in front of her eyes. 

Glimmer blinked once, then twice; “Love, what are you doing? We gotta go.”

Adora still didn’t answer, and it was only then that Glimmer realized she was shaking. Her knees were wobbling, her arms trembling, eyes seemingly fixated on her reflection. “Hey, hey,” Glimmer whispered, gingerly placing a hand between her shoulder blades, “It’s okay, Adora, I’m right here.” Finally acknowledging her presence, Adora turned, letting go of her hair, and the Queen was shocked to find tears streaking her face. “Oh, honey, what’s wrong?”

Sniffling, Adora pulled her into a hug, resting her chin on her head. She was undoubtedly going to mess up her hair and makeup, and be late, but Glimmer no longer cared about such trivial things. Her wife was hurting, and so everything else could wait.

Despite wearing heels, Adora was still several inches taller than her, so navigating her to their bed was a bit of a challenge. Grateful, she sat on the edge of the mattress, still unable to talk through her tears, but never letting go of Glimmer’s hand. Glimmer sat beside her, rubbing her back and pressing as close to her as possible, her other hand wiping tears from her eyes. She cooed softly, offering gentle “I love you”’s and “it’s okay”’s while her wife slowly composed herself. She could feel moisture gathering in her own eyes, and a lump forming in her throat, but forced herself to be strong, at least until she knew what was bothering Adora so badly.

Finally, Adora’s breathing deepened enough for her to form words. “I’m sorry, Glim, we should -”

Glimmer shook her head firmly. “No, love, you don’t have to apologize. Please, tell me what’s wrong. We have time.” They didn’t, but she didn’t care. 

“I...” She broke off, licking her lips. She seemed nervous, staring at her lap, not wanting to say much more.

“Please, Adora,” Glimmer said soothingly, taking her hand and squeezing it tightly. “You know you can tell me anything. I want to help you.”

Sighing, Adora’s entire body seemed to droop, exhaustion written in every feature. With her free hand, she separated a section of her hair, the same one that she had been staring at in the bathroom. “Look.”

Carefully, Glimmer inspected her hair, and didn’t see much of anything unusual. It was the same as ever, the color of warm sunlight and spun gold. “I don’t see anything, love.”

“Look closer.”

And so she did, and so she saw.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

A gray hair.

If Adora was anyone else - if _she herself_ was anyone else - she would have laughed. It’s a natural part of the aging process. You complain about it, you whine about it, you cry about it, and then life gets back to normal. They were pushing thirty, which was by no means considered old, but since they did have the added stress of running a kingdom (and taking care of a three-year-old), this wasn’t unexpected. 

But this was about more than just appearances. So, so much more.

“I’m getting old, Glim,” Adora said sadly, her voice sounding wet. “And you’re not.”

“That... We don’t know if that’s true yet, Adora,” Glimmer said shakily. 

It was a lie. Perhaps the only lie she had ever told her wife. 

Because the truth was, Glimmer knew she hadn’t aged a day past eighteen.

And she knew she would not age a day past eighteen for the next thousand years.

Adora’s lower lip trembled, tears once again spilling down her face. “I don’t want to leave you, Starlight.”

Glimmer threw herself around her wife, burying her face in her neck. “You’re not going anywhere, _no one_ is going anywhere right now, okay?”

“But - “

“Do you remember what I told you when I proposed?” Glimmer asked, quietly. She didn’t give Adora a chance to answer. “I said, ‘I love you, and I will choose you, every single day, for as long as you walk this planet. Every moment with you is a blessing, and... and whether I age or not, I... I want to spend as much of my life with you as possible, Adora.’” She was crying herself now, her makeup running. “I don’t care if, if we only have the next ten years together, or the next fifty, or all of eternity... I want to devote all of that time to you. And, and we _understood_ that, and we accepted it, just, fuck,” She chuckled brokenly. “I love you, Adora. So goddamn much.”

“I love you too,” Adora choked out, practically pulling Glimmer into her lap at this point. “I just, fuck, I want to make the most of our time together, but - “

“No buts,” Glimmer said, cutting her off with a kiss on the lips. “Just... love me. That’s all I want.”

Adora giggled through her tears. “Always, baby.” 

After a few moments of gathering themselves together, gently rocking back and forth, Glimmer ventured a joke. “Besides, you know... the whole salt and pepper look... that’s pretty sexy, if you ask me.”

Adora laughed, kissing her cheek. “You really think so? Well, get ready, because pretty soon you’re gonna be married to a _cougar_.”

“I can’t wait,” she simpered, kissing her again. 

Speaking of cats...

“Fuck, we’re late, aren’t we?” Adora asked, growling in frustration. “What’s our excuse gonna be?”

Glimmer shrugged, slipping out of her lap to readjust her dress. “We had an important personal emergency. I doubt they’ll ask beyond that, right?” Smiling, now that both women’s cheeks were finally dry, she took Adora’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s get some food, win over a delegate, and then we can pick up Astra from my Dad and cuddle while watching a movie together. Does that sound like a plan?”

Adora matched her grin, hugging her one last time before straightening her jacket. “The best plan.”

**Author's Note:**

> While she is only briefly mentioned, Astra (and her sister, Aurora) will be the main characters of the ITIWT sequel. Look forward to it!
> 
> (also, this doesn't take place in the ITIWT timeline. Probably).

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [inevitable](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29850702) by [VulpesUrsae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VulpesUrsae/pseuds/VulpesUrsae)




End file.
